Rated of 5
by Florence K. (Encino, California) The Things We Cherished
Some history, some mystery, and some deftly woven twists and turns make for a quick read. The chapters zigzag between past and present with the quest for and possession of a very special timepiece as the crux of the book. I enjoyed reading about the events of the past; I found the present love story somewhat hackneyed. It's an "airplane reading" novel and while I enjoyed reading it, the writing could have been more sophisticated.
tchapters zigzag between past and
Rated of 5
by Marcia W. (Toledo, Ohio) Another Historical Romance from Jenoff
Surprisingly The Things We Cherished is a nice week-end curl up and read. Surprising because of the potentially depressing topic. However this story skims lightly over any real details of the Holocaust giving the reader just enough detail to carry the story. Indeed this is a romantic tale strung together by a rather surface mystery surrounding a clock and the Holocaust. A nice read but not a lot of depth.
Rated of 5
by Shirley D. (Amherst, MA) THE THINGS WE CHERISHED
Once I understood the sudden shifts in time, locale and characters, I was drawn into the personal pain of brothers and the women they loved and the pain of the Holocaust repeated in the present day struggle of two brothers and a woman, a survivor of the Holocaust herself. My heart ached again for the Holocaust victims as highlighted by Jenoff. Having lived in that era, I felt again the madness of those times, the old struggle of love and pain in wartime, everything loosely held together here by a clockmaker, the Nazis and an antique clock.. It is a novel of love in the horrors of war and in the sufferings of the men and women who lived it.
Rated of 5
by Harriette K. (Northbrook, IL) The Things We Cherished
The story takes off from a pre-trial meeting of the protagonist and an elderly man who is accused of betraying his brother during the Holocaust. The brother had led a secret life rescuing Jews and sending them out of harm's way. Is he guilty or just the victim of his own innocence.
This is a good enough read, but doesn't offer us too much that's new in the way of a "Holocaust" story.
The most interesting part of this read is the conflict between brothers, different pairs at different times during from the early 20th century to the present. All in all, a good read, but not exceptional.
Rated of 5
by Jane N. (Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey) The Things We Cherish
This is a story about the human cost of World War 11. It is a story as old as time. One brother falling in love with another brother’s wife, the other brother in love with mankind in general but can’t find time to show his love for his family. Jenoff tells the story by moving back and forth through time and does it beautifully. She uses the dynamics between brothers to move the story along. She goes back to the turn of the 20th century to create the setting that will eventually lead to the story’s conclusion. Her writing is clean and easy to follow. Jenoff demonstrates that things are not always what they appear to be, both in the past and in the future, and it is always foolish to jump to quick and easy conclusions based on appearances. This is a simple story told with tenderness and in the end, broke my heart. I enjoyed it.
Rated of 5
by Lucy B. (Urbana, Ohio) Holocaust Hero's brother
I loved this story of love and suspense. There is a love connection not only between the public defender and the brother of her ex-lover but between the accused Nazi collaborator, who the public defender is asked to help defend, and the accused's brother's wife.
The book starts in 2009, jumps to 1903, 1922, 1940, 1942, 1961, and 1911, jumping into 2009 in and about the earlier years. I sometimes got confused as to where I was.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Florence K. (Encino, California) 
of 5
by Marcia W. (Toledo, Ohio) 
of 5
by Shirley D. (Amherst, MA) 
